No. 1 Sooners Set for Collegiate Quad on ABC

NORMAN – The No. 1 Oklahoma women's gymnastics team returns to the floor Saturday afternoon in one of the most highly anticipated meets of 2024. The inaugural Sprouts Farmer's Market Collegiate Quad, hosted by ESPN Events, will air live on ABC on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. Bart Conner and Kathy Johnson-Clarke will be on the call, with Taylor Davis on the sidelines.

The meet features some of the best of the best in collegiate gymnastics with No. 1 Oklahoma being joined by No. 2 Utah, No. 5 LSU and No. 12 UCLA. All four teams were preseason top five teams as voted on by coaches. The meet will take place on podium at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah.

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS…

In the first meet of the season, the Sooners put on an impressive showing at the Mean Girls Super 16 in Las Vegas, Nev. The Sooners posted a 197.850 in their season opener, defeating No. 9 Kentucky (196.775), No. 11 Michigan State (196.300) and No. 6 Michigan (195.875). The Sooners took home event titles on two events and in the all-around. Faith Torrez claimed a share of the all-around title with a career-high 39.625. Torrez also took home a share of the beam title with a 9.95. Ragan Smith shared the beam title with Torrez with a matching 9.95. Jordan Bowers claimed the floor title with a 9.925, one of just two athletes to earn a 9.9-plus on the event Friday evening. Eight Sooners competed in the meet with two making their collegiate debuts in Hannah Scheible and Keira Wells. The Sooners had four athletes compete in the all-around in Torrez, Bowers, Katherine LeVasseur and Audrey Davis.

TORREZ HONORED BY BIG 12

Following an impressive opening weekend, sophomore Faith Torrez was named the Big 12 Gymnast of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday. This is Torrez' eighth career honor after earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week seven times in 2023. Torrez was exceptional in the season opener for the Sooners, helping them to a first-place finish at the Mean Girls Super 16 with a 197.850 over No. 6 Michigan, No. 9 Kentucky and No. 11 Michigan State. Against a tough field, Torrez claimed the all-around title with a career-high 39.625, her first time breaking the 39.600 mark. Along with her all-around title, Torrez also took home the event title on beam with an impressive 9.95. On bars, she placed second with another 9.95, helping lead the Sooners to a nation-best 49.625 on the event.

ALL-AROUND EXCELLENCE

When the Sooners took to the floor on Jan. 5, four athletes found themselves competing in the all-around: Jordan Bowers, Audrey Davis, Katherine LeVasseur and Faith Torrez. Bowers, Davis and Torrez all have all-around experience competing all four events and LeVasseur made her collegiate floor debut. All four athletes scored at least a 39.400 in the all-around with Torrez leading the way to claim the AA crown with a 39.625. Bowers was just behind her, recording a 39.600 while Davis and LeVasseur tallied a 39.500 and 39.400, respectively.

THEY WERE NUMBER ONE

After posting the highest score in the nation with during opening weekend, OU remained the No. 1 team in the nation. The Sooners were one of just four schools to post a 197-plus score in the first week of competition. Coming in at No. 2 is Utah with a 197.300, followed by Missouri at No. 3 with a 197.150 and Alabama at No. 4 with a 197.125. LSU rounded out the top five with a 196.975. The Sooners are also ranked No. 1 on a pair of events. OU posted an incredible 49.625 on the uneven bars to lead the nation, while also posting a 49.475 on beam. The Sooners are ranked No. 2 on vault with a 49.350, just narrowly behind LSU's 49.375. On floor, the Sooners check in at No. 5 with a 49.400.

WE TOO DEEP

The Sooners return 13 gymnasts from the 2023 squad that secured the programs sixth national title in fifth-year senior Ragan Smith; seniors Audrey Davis, Bell Johnson, Katherine LeVasseur, Sheridan Ramsey and Meilin Sullivan; juniors Jordan Bowers, Danae Fletcher, Caitin Kirkpatrick, Danielle Sievers and Madison Snook; and sophomores Ava Siegfeldt and Faith Torrez.

S-E-C YOU SOON

The 2024 season will be bittersweet as it marks the final year in the Big 12 for the Sooners who will move to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) beginning with the 2025 season. Kindler has been a member of both the Big 8 and Big 12 conferences, beginning her career as a gymnast and coach at Iowa State before coming to Oklahoma in 2007. The Sooners will take on a new challenge in the SEC in 2025, which currently boasts all eight teams ranked in the top 20 of the preseason poll, with four in the top 10. Oklahoma will face four SEC teams during the regular season in No. 3 LSU, No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 Kentucky and No. 15 Arkansas. Before departing the Big 12 Conference, the Sooners will host the 2024 Championships inside Lloyd Noble Center. OU has not hosted in Norman since winning the 2019 Big 12 crown.

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Season tickets to watch the back-to-back and six-time national champion Oklahoma women's gymnastics team's 2024 home campaign are now available. To reserve your seat, click here or contact the OU Athletics Ticket Office by phone at (405) 325-2424. Reserved seats are $60 each. General admission season tickets are $35 for adults, while seniors (55+) and youth (6-18) are $25.

FOLLOW THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS

For updates, follow @OU_WGymnastics on Twitter and Instagram, or like Oklahoma Women's Gymnastics on Facebook.